The UW-Whitewater Warhawk baseball team completed a four-game series sweep against the UW-Stevens Point pointers over the weekend. The Warhawks had timely hitting and strong pitching performances to secure all four wins, including a walk-off victory in extra innings and a five game home-run performance in two of Saturday’s doubleheaders.
Head Coach John Vodenlich said he felt that this was the perfect way to start conference play, especially after coming off of a hot spring trip for the team.
“That’s how you want to do it,” Vodenlich said. “I think we had some questions answered this weekend about how good they were and how we played.”
Vodenlich gave high praise to his pitching staff throughout the weekend with great performances from juniors Sam Steuber, Ethan Wickman and Gradin Taschner.
“Those guys are the reason we won the games, they did a great job,” Vodenlich said.
He also gave all of the credit to the players, saying how tough they are for struggling in battle and being able to come out on top every time this weekend.
“When you play four games in a weekend, it’s like trench warfare. It’s a battle,” Vodenlich said. “The team that’s tougher physically and mentally, the team that’s deeper, typically is the team that prevails. And I think that’s what we saw this weekend.”
(Charlie Clark)
Coach Vodenlich went a little deeper into Steuber’s performance over the weekend, saying he was one of the motivating factors of the weekend, keeping the Warhawks in the game and helping them gain a comeback on Saturday.
Senior infielder Andy Thies also gave a lot of credit to the pitching staff this weekend, along with praise to his teammates in the dug out during his offensive streak this weekend.
“We feed off the energy, it fuels us,” Thies said. “I think it’s really important for every game.”
Thies powered the plate for the Warhawks this weekend, tallying up five home runs and multiple RBIs across the four game series. With a few momentum swings throughout the weekend, Thies was able to stay locked in on the game, helping lead the Warhawks to victory.
“I just stay present in every pitch,” Thies said. “We’re out here for a long time every day, but being able to stay present every pitch is what helps.”
Senior infielder Leyten Bowers also proved to be a huge presence for the Warhawks over the weekend, driving in runs throughout the series and delivering a walk-off walk in Saturday’s opener.
Bowers said that his success was from hunting fastballs during the series and hearing everyone in the stadium cheer for him.
“When I was at full count, I heard everyone in the stadium going crazy,” Bowers said. “And then I saw ball four and took my base, had to go down to first, and then the boys just surrounded me.”
Bowers described the feeling of winning that game as more of a breath of relief than a celebration, saying he was ready to get ready for the next game and out of the cold.
“I was like, ‘finally,'” Bowers said. “It was such a long game and it was a little chilly, so everyone wanted it to end.”
Bowers said for the next series, the Warhawks do have room for improvement, but it can only get better from here, starting conference play with a 4-0 sweep.
“I think we can be a lot better, but I think it’s only up from here for us.” Bowers said.
Thies had a similar comment, also wanting to see just how far the Warhawks could improve, but also saying he wants to see that game-winning momentum carried over into the next series and the rest of the season.
“I think everyone did a good job of hitting spots,” Thies said. “So if we can just carry that momentum into every competitive series, I think we’ll be in a really good spot.”
Head coach Vodenlich said two short words, but let the meaning be present when asked what he wants to carry over from this series into the next.
“Four wins,” Vodenlich said.
The Warhawks next four-game series will be held next weekend in La Crosse, Wisconsin, against the UW-La Crosse Eagles, starting off their four-series road trip across the WIAC.
